I don’t envy Gernot Rohr. He has the daunting task of ensuring that Nigerians enjoy the matches of the Russia 2018 World Cup, beginning with Nigeria’s opening game against Croatia on June 16. The German updates us on his work whenever he comes into the country. And his plans are quite laudable, with many of them answering questions on our preparations for the Mundial.
Rohr isn’t asking us to pray for the Super Eagles. Nor is he stirring any controversy about his dealings with his employers, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). He isn’t talking about going back to the drawing board (it must be in tatters now) . He is telling us his plans and debunking those that are off the mark. We have been saved the needless debate of the powers of the Technical Committee over the tactician. No cheap talk of having a certain number of home-based players. We seem to know those likely to make the country’s 23-man squad to the Mundial.
Rohr’s plans are not speculative. Now we know that Vincent Enyeama is out of the squad. This Enyeama disclosure underscores the importance that Rohr attaches to our preparations. He has sent one of the goalkeepers’ trainers to Spain to drill Francis Uzoho. This means that Uzoho will be the country’s number one goalkeeper at the Mundial. The training sessions are meant to keep him fit. And the managers of Uzoho’s Spanish side have keyed into Rohr’s dream by fielding the Nigerian in the team’s recent matches. Uzoho has recorded 10 clean slates showing the huge prospect he is for Nigeria.
The friendly games against Poland on March 23 in Warsaw and Serbia on March 27 will give the manager the platform to see how well the trainer has worked on Uzoho in Spain. It will also serve as the best opportunity to improve on Uzoho’s confidence. Ezenwa has been off the pitch due to injuries; he can’t feature in such top grade games against Poland and Serbia.
Rohr knows how not to dampen the morale of contenders for each position. The truth is that the first choice goalkeeper looks like Uzoho, irrespective of what Rohr told the media on Wednesday in Germany.
“Uzoho is working hard, but he is only third choice keeper at La Coruna, and very young. Let’s work on all our goalkeepers,’’ he said, adding: “We will give the same attention to Alampasu, Alloy Agu will work on the local lads as well. We will work equally with all the goalkeepers we have available, even with Daniel Akpeyi in South Africa.” Well said, Rohr; it is better to throw the fight for positions open.
Ezenwa and Akpeyi will warm the bench, although Ezenwa may feel cheated, having manned the goalpost creditably. The World Cup is the platform for excellence, not the podium to celebrate mediocrity. Fielding Uzoho ahead of Ezenwa raises hope for Brian Idowu at the left back position. Idowu utilised the opportunity of the Argentina game to score a goal on his debut and impress Rohr, who had been pondering how best to plug the hole at the team’s left back position.
Idowu’s imposing personality and sublime skills stand him out as a defender strikers must be wary of. He also showed tremendous pace and strength while running down the left flank. His goal against the Argentines enhances his chances of manning that position for Nigeria.
Will Rohr rely on players’ experience or their current forms in picking his first 11? Elderson Echiejile is the most experienced left back, having played at the Brazil 2014 World Cup and the 2013 Confederations Cup held in Sao Paolo. Echiejile graduated from the age-grade teams to the Eagles after stints with Bendel Insurance FC of Benin City in the domestic league. What would give Rohr’s team the tenacity at the rear would be those versatile players who can play in more than one positions. Ola Aina, another Nigeria-born lad offers the manager that quality since he can play in any of the five defensive positions. Aina is distinguishing himself weekly for Hull City in the Coca-Cola Championship League in England. He has been selected severally this season in the division’s team-of-the-week.
Tyronne Ebuehi will be the surprise first team player at the Mundial. He is immensely gifted; recall the ease with which he took the ball off the feet of the Argentines. Ebuehi didn’t play regularly in the qualifiers, largely because of the physical style in Africa. He doesn’t have to chase his markers since he ensures that he gets to the ball first.
Such intelligent players earn their marks at the Mundial, little wonder Ebuehi has been listed in the team-of-the-week in Holland for Netherlands ADO Den Haag recently in the Dutch League. Will Rohr dump Shehu Abdullahi for Ebuehi? Reading Rohr’s mind, one won’t be shocked. Ebuehi is a natural defender, unlike Abdullahi who is a defensive midfielder. This explains why he hesitates to launch tackles inside the penalty box. Natural defenders would simply shield the ball and make it almost impossible for the striker to score, except such strikers are English – apologies to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who once described English strikers as divers for penalty kicks.
Abdullahi has made the right wing back position his. But with the way Ebuehi played against Argentina, he must roll up his sleeves to keep the shirt. Aina could dethrone Abdullahi, now that it appears that Idowu has clinched the left wing back shirt, if he does well against Poland in Warsaw and Serbia in London.
The central defensive pair of Troost-Ekong and Leon Balogun have been very effective. My only fear is with injuries (God forbid), but it is in the game to be injured or become ineligible for the next game due to card offences. Pundits aren’t comfortable with Omeruo’s style, despite his playing at the Mundial in Brazil in 2014. Will Rohr hit Europe again to get Nigeria-born lads to serve as substitutes? Names, such as Kevin Akpoguma, are being dropped as prospects even as the manager is ruling out any new face in the squad. Coaches talk like that. They like to keep their cards to their chests.
What is important to Rohr is how to distinguish himself in his debut appearance at the Mundial. Having been persuaded to leave Germany FA for the Nigerian job, Rohr knows that doing well at the Mundial will raise his profile at home. It will also throw open the gate of opportunities from clubs and countries seeking to improve on their profile in global football. It is a win-win situation for Eagles and Rohr – both parties need the World Cup stage to excel.
I’m glad that we are going to the Mundial with the youngest group of players. I’m inclined to celebrate this feat because a large number of players use birth certificates, not sworn affidavits. Age cheating has been the bane of our national teams after big competitions, such as the Mundial. If we exit from the Russia 2018 World Cup, we won’t be talking about a complete overhaul of the team. We would know if the exit arose from having an inefficient manager. Those players to bid farewell in the new dispensation will also be known. Conversely, if we excel, Rohr stays and builds on what he has in place.
Nigeria, with a population of over 170 million, should make her participation at the Mundial a birthright, given what our players are doing in Europe. We hardly hear of issues of allowances from big players during competitions. Eagles’ players have truncated our chances to excel on the big stage due to the shortcomings of the federation, only to play again under the same setting. Messi and Ronaldo have issues with their federations but they give their best, knowing that the issues will be resolved. Our players make it look like the world will end if they are not paid. Don’t get me wrong; they deserve their wages. Till date, no federation chief has been found guilty of misappropriation of funds. It means that our players must learn how to believe their federation chiefs, especially if things remain the same.
Our players know the importance of playing at the World Cup. Many Nigerians haven’t recovered from their wasted revenue when we failed to qualify for the Mundial. Nigerians make a lot of money when Eagles are doing well in major competitions. The media are awash with stories and people do brisk business selling wares with our players’ pictures, business centres accommodate more fans and eateries, bars and hotels increase their stock.
A credible outing for Nigeria in Russia will attract European scouts and managers to Nigeria in search of more talents like we had in the past.
